Mary Coe

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Ebook Navigation: Browse, Search and Index

Ebooks are not just digitised print books. They may have additional features, such as search functions and hyperlinked indexes. Developments in ebooks, including the EPUB standard, and ongoing improvements in ereader hardware, mean that ebook navigation has the potential to become less intrusive and more helpful to readers. ["Ebook Navigation: Browse, Search and Index" by Glenda Browne and Mary Coe was originally published in the Australian Library Journal, volume 61, number 4, November 2012]
138 KB • PDF File • 10 December 2012
Ebooks and elending

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) held a think tank on ebooks and elending, held at the State Library of NSW in Sydney on 28 May 2013. The Sydney think tank followed similar events in Brisbane and Melbourne, which resulted in the release of the ALIA position statement on ebooks and elending in May 2013. Discussion centred on pricing and access models for ebooks in Australia and other countries. Specific issues for public, academic and special libraries were considered. The ALIA elending initiative and others like it demonstrate that libraries will play a role in the rapidly evolving book industry.
91 KB • PDF File • 11 September 2013
Tyranny of the Page

In this article, I wonder what will happen to the page as books move away from print and into electronic format. Is the page a cruel ruler that we can easily do without or is it a necessary structure for peace and harmony? I predict that readers need the page, or something like it, and that indexers will have a role to play in the new regime. [Originally published in The Indexer Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2012]
257 KB • PDF File • 7 March 2012
Website Indexing

Website indexing may be done using multiple methods and tools, but the basic art of indexing still applies. As websites are often organic and constantly changing, the work of the web indexer is never done. In fact, the need for website indexing may only increase in the near future as new initiatives for collating and linking data appear. [Originally published in The Indexer Vol. 34 No. 1 March 2016]
976 KB • PDF File • 29 February 2016
What Do Readers Expect from Book Indexes and How Do They Use Them? An Exploratory User Study

Current indexing practice is based on assumptions rather than knowledge about the behaviour of book index users. This exploratory user study investigated readers' expectations and use of book indexes in order to fill this gap in knowledge. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six individuals who have regular exposure to books with indexes. Participants revealed that they have a clear understanding of the purpose and use of book indexes, despite being unable to recall any specific instruction in using indexes. They expect to find indexes in nonfiction books, and their choice of a book is influenced by the index. It is apparent from the results that users approach indexes in two ways - to gain a general overview of a book and to find specific topics in a book - depending on the context of index use and their familiarity with the book. The results of this study could inform design of index usability testing and research on navigation within books.
276 KB • PDF File • 28 August 2015
Where is the Evidence? A Review of the Literature on the Usability of Book Indexes

Mary Coe reviews the literature in search of an evidence base for book indexing practice. She discovers that while research has been conducted on index characteristics and usability, it has been systems-focused, and that little is known about what readers expect from book indexes and how they use them. She suggests that user studies could contribute not only to development of better indexing practice but to greater knowledge of human information behaviour. [Originally published in The Indexer Vol. 32 No. 4 December 2014]
147 KB • PDF File • 4 December 2014